There’s a certain mystique to men in kilts, particularly what attire is or is not worn underneath them. Kevin Thompson says it’s a question that comes with kilt wearing.

To get the answer, one can always do a kilt check (not recommended) or just ask the man in the kilt.

“I’ll get asked at least once a day, ‘So, what’s under the kilt?’ There are as many answers as there are hairs on my head,” says Thompson, a father of two.

That question comes with the territory for “kilties,” a playful term for men who wear kilts.

As the founder of the Brotherhood of the Kilt and author of “Kiltology,” a book of quips and tips “for the kilted universe,” Thompson said kilt wearers aren’t generally wallflowers.

From his first days wearing a kilt ten years ago, he said, “I didn’t mind the attention. A guy in a kilt kind of gets remembered.”

A Marion native, Thompson moved to Oklahoma for college and there went to a Scottish festival. He ordered his first kilt in the Thompson family’s tartan design on the spot. Soon after, Thompson joined several kilt focused forums online, researched his own family history and began wearing his new kilt on a regular basis.

The new kiltie began selling kilt-related T-shirts, and in 2007, launched the website for Brotherhood of the Kilt, which now has 650 paying members and thousands of users who discuss how to wear kilts, what attire is appropriate in specific social situations, how to deal with the inevitable attention, Scottish genealogy, religion and more.

“It’s first and foremost educational for both kilt wearers and the public,” Thompson said, who moved to Rochester a few years ago.

The Brotherhood downplays the strict kilt wearing rules some kilties insist on. The main point to remember is that the pleats go in the back, Thompson said.

Otherwise, “there’s no ironclad rules as to how you wear them,” he explained.

For “Kiltology,” Thompson compiled the “words of wisdom” that he first posted on his website.

The 200 entries give kilties helpful tips on dealing with friction, making snow angels while kilted and some tongue in cheek lessons learned.

For example, entry number 16 states: “Contrary to popular belief, a kilt is a very poor substitute for a parachute.”

“It’s meant to make you laugh … to be educational and give kilt-related resources, but ultimately it should be fun,” said Thompson, who is currently working on volume two.

Kilties and non-kilties will appreciate the book, says Thompson. He also encourages those without Scottish heritage to try out a kilt.

After all, “p@nts” is kind of a dirty word for Thompson, who finds himself “kilted in a bifurcated world.”

“If you Google pants, you’re never going to get my website,” he said.

Thompson said he wears a kilt 80 percent of the time in warm weather. Desperate temperatures call for desperate measures, however.

“There’s a point where bravado has to give way to common sense,” said Thompson. “When it’s cold, it’s cold and nothing’s going to change that.”

P@nts aside, the Brotherhood is a positive group and one Thompson hopes will stem the negativity surrounding kilt wearing.

“We’re trying to eliminate all the social stigmas with, basically, a guy wearing a skirt,” said Thompson. “It’s a piece of clothing and that’s how it should be treated. You should be able to go shopping in a kilt without getting harassed.”

That doesn’t mean Thompson is averse to the attention. As the business development manager for Beyond BOLD Media in Mattapoisett, Thompson said wearing a kilt to networking events is a handy way to be remembered.

They’re also pretty darn comfortable, he said.

“I’ve built a deck wearing a kilt. I’ve done roofing wearing a kilt,” he said. “You can’t hurt them.”

Traditional kilts are made of wool in a tartan plaid pattern, but modern incarnations of the Scottish garment come in a variety of fabrics (Thompson favors duck canvas) and styles. There are kilts for each branch of the military, the Boy Scouts and for construction workers.

Thompson owns about 30 kilts and diligently hand washes the wool ones (directions are in the book.) So, it’s unlikely he’ll ever show up at an event in the wrong attire.

But, it doesn’t really matter which kilt he’s wearing, Thompson is sure to be at the center of attention, whether it be at a networking event or a pub.

“You wouldn’t expect someone to walk into a bar with a kilt and not be ready to have a good time,” he said.

Check out the Brotherhood of the Kilt at www.kiltsrock.com where “Kiltology” is also available for purchase.